


He Was Not Prepared

by sambethe



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Speculation, Wish!Hook, officer rogers - Freeform, utter and complete speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 10:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12386367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sambethe/pseuds/sambethe
Summary: Killian Jones meets his daughter.





	He Was Not Prepared

He wasn’t prepared.

Left to his own devices, he’d blame it on the rum. But only two drinks in when he returned to his ship that night, there was barely a hint of fog papering over his thoughts. He would have hardly called himself unawares, but there he was, mouth agape, as Catherine sat in the chair before his desk.

Smee would pay dearly come morning.

Narrowing his gaze, he moved to pull the dagger that sat within the folds of his coat. It had been months - nay, more than a year now that he thought of it - since she graced his cabin. He couldn’t say he thought much of her in the absence, but knew if she had returned it couldn’t bode well for him. There had been no talk of her at port or on the taverns in that time, and he had assumed that she found passage with another ship’s captain. Somewhere more hospitable than this dreary port. 

It was only as he stepped forward that he heard her murmurs. He tightened his grip on his blade, preparing himself for her to not be alone. He stopped, tilting his head to listen behind him, but there was no footfalls or creaks, nothing to indicate imminent ambush.

All that greeted him was more of her hushed whispers and it took him more time than he’d ever willingly admit to notice the small infant clutched to her chest. 

Dozens of questions flitted through his brain, but the only one word managed to escape his lips. 

“Catherine?” 

He could hear the waver in his voice. Wondered which of the questions made him most wary. 

She turned her attention from the babe and he was surprised at the look of relief in her eyes. She looked exhausted, her normally neatly coiffed hair escaping from the loose bun at the back of her hair. There wasn’t a trace of the usual makeup that adorned her eyes and lips. 

“Oh, thank heavens,” she whispered and started to stand. “I was hoping you would -”

Killian raised his hand to bid her to stop. “What is this?” he asked with a flick of his blade towards the infant. “My ship is no place for a nursery.”

“Killian -”

“No. Whatever trouble it is you’ve found yourself in, poppet, it is not mine to share in. You should see yourself out.”

Not looking to see if she followed his directive, he turned and dropped down to sit on the edge of his berth. He laid the blade next to him as Catherine began to move, but rather than make her way out she came and stood before him.

“She’s yours.”

Killian shook his head. “That’s not possible.”

Sitting down beside him, she brought the baby towards his lap. “Hold her, you’ll see.”

_ No _ his mind shouted even as he reached out, gathering the child in the crook of his left arm, careful to keep the end of his hook turned down. She couldn’t be his. In all his many years, not one of the women he had lied with had gotten with child. He had tried to make sure of that. And yet, he peered down.

It was hard to make much of the infant. She was swaddled in more layers of cloth than he thought possible, but as he moved she seemed to wake, her tiny brow furrowing. How long had it been since he had last seen that same expression etched across Liam’s face?

_ It can’t be _ , he thought, even as he began to sway in time with the ship as it moved with the small waves hitting in the dock. 

Then she opened her eyes and their blue was unmistakable. 

_ Oh. _

“How long since…”

He didn’t know how he intended to finish that question, but Catherine’s quiet answer of six months left him in a tumult of emotion. He was surprised to find anger the first among them.

_ Six months?  _ He reached out, a tentative finger brushing along her chin. She stared back at him, quiet, not a trace fear in her expression.  _ How have six months gone?  _ he thought, but instead gives voice to another question.

“Does she have a name?”

“Delia,” Catherine answered as she reached out and ran two fingers along the whorl of hair at the top of her head. “Do you think you could watch her a while?”

Killian wanted to refuse. He had no knowledge of what to do with an infant. How could she even think she would be safe with him - a one-handed pirate known more for his drinking than his piracy of late.

“Please, I need just a few hours. It’s been so long -”

“Yes.” The word was uttered before he knew he would acquiesce. “We aren’t due to leave until tomorrow evening. She’s safe here for the night.”

Catherine was up before he finished his promise, pulling the ties of her cloak tight at her throat and throwing up her hood.  

*

Morning light dawned with no sign of Catherine’s return and by evening he had still heard no word. Inquiries with the usual sources turned up no word, the only traces of her were those that dated to when she had disappeared from port a year ago.

Nothing but the fact of Delia, awake and squalling in Smee’s arms. 


End file.
